The Hidden King
by Kahel004
Summary: One night was all it took to rob him of everything he had, one month to give him a new life and a year to inherit a kingdom he never wanted. Nothing is ever as it seems, the gods made sure of that. Seth/Atem
1. Prologue

**The Hidden King **

**by 004**

Prologue

Everything was so far away.

He felt he was running on thin air, flying with his bloody feet scraping against the dirty street. Distant sounds echoed in his ear as if it came from miles away and not just a breath's gap close. He could only feel the tears falling from his bloodshot eyes, the blood oozing from his many wounds, and the sound of his heart thrashing in his ribs.

It was just a little more before he reached their house, before he crossed the carnage that was once his town. The thieves had pointed their big swords at him, and their long wooden spears swinging, hoping to land a hit on him. Anything to stop the pretty little thing from running from them so they could have a bit of fun.

He didn't dare stop. His mother… his beloved mother was trapped, in their home held captive by one of the thieves. He didn't know how he knew, he just did.

When he reached the door to their small stone house, he caught his breath before throwing the door open just to see a burly man trying to force himself on his mother. He froze on the spot, before he suddenly regained his senses and charged at the man with all the strength he had in his small body.

Throwing a clay jar could have wielded far better results but fortunately, it did stop the rapist from doing his way with his mother… or rather unfortunately because the man now turned to his intruder with anger in his eyes and obvious irritation.

"You fucking brat! I'll show you what happens when you get in the way!" he was picked up by the back of his neck like a wet dog before being thrown out back again to the burning and blood-drenched streets. He was caught by some of the thieves, the previous ones who he passed earlier. The man who was supposedly their leader was the one who threw him out, said to his men, "Here! Have fun, but make sure that there will be plenty to go around for everyone. Take extra care of his ass." He was cackling like a maniac, he probably was.

The men who now held him started their groping and began touching places his mother had once explained to be very sacred and holy. The boy yelped and struggled to break free from their molesting. He heard his mother cry his name and saw her struggling towards him.

"Atemu!" her voice was full of pain and helplessness. Just then her face was clear to him, her curly golden tresses falling over her face, and her ebony eyes filled with so much despair. The leader of the robbers snatched her hair roughly and threw her back into the house without a care and an ugly snarl on his ugly face. But his mother was a persistent woman and still stood up and ran towards him, hoping to free his son from their dirty clutches. She successfully ran past the surprised leader and the group that held her son clutched their weapons tightly in their hands, wary for anything the woman might do.

In complete horror, Atem saw her mother being impaled by a spear from the back. Her blood splattered all over him and she fell into a lifeless heap at his feet. The leader held a bloody spear and clicked his tongue in distaste, "Tsk, I hate willful women. She is better off dead." The man turned leering dark eyes to the boy's still devastated expression, licking his lips in a manner that could only be called disgusting. "Although I can make exceptions for a pretty face like yours, my sweet. I'm sure you'll make for a fantastic whore."

Atem was hearing and feeling nothing again. Everything was so far away, more so than before. All he saw was his beloved mother lying dead before him, her now glassy eyes staring up at him and the sky. He felt much grief. So much sorrow… so much _pain_. He let out a scream full of his emotions… with it, letting out a power he never knew he had.

A heavenly light engulfed the small town and a bright beam of light shot down from the heavens before being joined by three other different lights. When it disappeared, there was nothing left, no t even a trace that the village existed. Though in the middle of nowhere, a child lay battered on the sand with seven gold ornaments lying around him.

That night, the Seven Legendary Millennium Items were brought into the world.

* * *

A/N: Please review. Just one review would be enough.


	2. Chapter 1

**The Hidden King **

**by 004**

Chapter 1

Seth wrapped the cloak tighter around his head to keep the sand from entering his mouth. It was just the priest's luck to come across a mild sandstorm on his way to the main city, the kingdom where the Pharaoh lived. Now he had to take a detour and spend one night in a village on the way there. Some merchants he had come across earlier had advised it, saying that the storm might escalate overnight. Seth decided to play safe and just go along with what they said.

He had been sent to the Temple of Ra to finish his training as a priest. Akunadin, his father, had recommended it and Seth obeyed like the good son that he was. In the Temple, he learned many things from the high priest assigned there; things that he knew he never would have learned if he stayed in the Palace with his father. Life was simple and quiet in the Temple, very much unlike the daily hustle and bustle of Palace life. Seth could have stayed a little longer after he had been initiated as a priest but he missed his father, he missed his home. The only thing he dreaded was the travel in between.

But he was also tempted to stay in the Temple since the priests of higher stations had started to suddenly become jittery with excitement one night. Rumors had been passed around the temple, from the servants to the other priests and even to those in training until it reached him and he couldn't believe what had been said to him had the high priest not confirmed it.

The gods had started to make their move. And there were sayings that they had sent one savior of their choosing to protect Kemet from enemies of afar. It wasn't enough information but the other priests had believed it. Everyone, including Seth, had seen the signs. The beam of light that appeared out of nowhere the day before and the eyes of the statues in their temples that suddenly glowed… it was not mere coincidence, they pressed.

But even with all the excitement, Seth decided to come home since there was nothing more for him to do in the Temple. Everything he had been sent out to do was finished and a letter from his father requesting his immediate return only strengthened his resolve to return home.

Seth dared to take a peek from beneath his cloak, sandy it was from the sandstorm, and looked at the sunset to his left. It was beautiful. The sun was a bright scarlet and sent large, wispy tentacles across the sky in different hues of orange. Over the dunes of sand, it almost looked like morning except for the twinkling stars above and the ominous shadows the light had cast on the ground.

It was nearing night which meant that he had to make fast and reach the village to take refuge from the storm. But his borrowed horse was not meant for speed and already had quite a number of years on it. It would do no good to force it, even if it meant that he had to do pay respect to the gods in the middle of the desert.

The horse stepped up on a particularly high sand dune and Seth patted it encouragingly. In the distance, he can finally see the lights from the nearby village and his horse shared his elation at finally nearing a place to rest. It clicked its feet and slid down the small ramp of loose sand, contributing a little more to the sand around them.

But the horse took a few gallops before coming to a stop as Seth abruptly pulled on its reins. The horse neighed in annoyance at the priest but watched nonetheless as his rider got off his back and ran a short distance to their right.

If it hadn't been for the gold Seth saw glittering beside the boy, he probably wouldn't have noticed him at all. Seth immediately knelt down beside the fallen boy who was lying face down on the sand and checked him for any injuries. He was bloody and covered with the most dirt Seth had ever seen on anyone. The boy's clothes were destroyed and ripped in many places but he seemed to be uninjured, a contradictory to the sight of the copious amounts of blood on his person.

He gently rolled the boy onto his back and tried to wake him up by smacking his face gently. "Hey. Wake up. Do you hear me?" _He must've been travelling the desert by foot. _He said in his mind when he searched the boy's body for anything. _Without food or any water… the fool._

A groan was his only answer and that was the only thing Seth needed as confirmation. He gathered the boy into his arms and took off his cloak to wrap around the boy. Seth placed him gently on the horse and secured his position so he wouldn't fall off before he grabbed his leather bag. The priest went back to the gold pieces still lying on the ground and scooped them up into his bag. He had no need for riches but he thought that the boy might be livid if he lost his gold.

When he picked up the first gold item, a rod, he felt the familiar sensation of the Shadow powers engulf his senses. He had always been aware of them, the Shadows. He needed to because he was a priest and exorcisms were part of the initiation. He needed to understand the Shadow to expel the spirit from its reluctant host. The Shadows were also used in summoning, but that required a lot of energy so Seth rarely used it. But just the simple touch of the mysterious golden rod had him reeling from the sheer intensity of which the Shadows wrapped around him. It was the most power he had felt and he was immediately getting addicted to its allure.

All too soon, the onslaught of the Shadows stopped. It had felt like hours when it was actually just a few seconds. Seth didn't know how to function for a while but a snort from his horse and a soft bump to his shoulder, as if the horse was worried, brought him out of his trance. "I'm fine," he blurted out without meaning to, his breath coming out in short rasps.

Feeling silly all of a sudden, he dropped the rod into the bag and thanked the gods that whatever happened with the rod didn't happen again with the other six items. Although when he touched the gold puzzle-like pyramid, his eyes glazed over before he shook his head as if to clear the haze that overtook his mind.

He replaced his leather bag back on his horse and grabbed another cloth to cover his body with from the cold that started to creep into his skin. The sky was beginning to darken and the stars shone brighter even more. There were only a few parts of the sun left before it sunk beneath the sand. With the sandstorm still raging, Seth never noticed how it circled around him and his companion, as if there were in the middle of the eye of the storm, never touching them, as if protected by some mystical force.

* * *

A/N: I hope I have sated your curiosity.


	3. Chapter 2

**The Hidden King**

**by 004**

**Chapter 2**

Seth strapped his horse to the stables at the side of the inn, making sure that the knots were secure before unburdening the horse of his load. He carried the boy in his arms, still careful of his still unconfirmed injuries.

He nudged the ratty wooden door of the inn and it opened without much force. The small lobby was bathed in a soft orange light coming from the oil lamp hanging on the wall. The furniture was sparse and Seth laid his unconscious companion on the stool near a clay pot. He brushed a few hairs from his face and checked his position so the boy wouldn't fall off from the chair.

With a little bit of shuffling with his belongings, he found what he was looking for and headed straight to the counter to rent a room. "Will this be enough for one night's worth of lodging?"

Seth placed the small pouch of bronze coins on the dirty counter of the inn. The place may not have looked much but it seemed that the price for one room was cheap. The priest only had a small amount of money with him and he was not keen on wasting it for a grander room.

The fat man behind the counter opened the pouch and inspected the money inside before giving his unkempt beard one languid stroke. "Yeah, it'll be right. We only have one last room though and it only has one bed. But I guess you'll have no problem with that, eh?" The man kept looking at the boy sitting on the only chair in the room with a gaze Seth was uncomfortable with before flicking back to him, an amused smile on his lips.

"I'll take it," Seth decided without pause, choosing to ignore the man's comment. The man took out a piece of wood, no bigger than his palm and held it up to Seth. "You just place it on the hook outside your door. It will mean that the room's occupied; got it? You don't want anyone stumbling in to your room in the middle of the night, do yeh?" Seth just nodded and as he was about to get the wooden block from the innkeeper, the fat man leered at him. "I knew you priests weren't all pure and celibate."

"I bed your pardon?" Seth all but seethed at the man, malice in his eyes.

"Oh come on… you're bringing that boy in for a little fun, right? No need to be shy, dear boy. All men gotta need to release once in a while, even you holy-priest-people. You must have picked up pretty somewhere. Knocked him out and brought him here to fuck him. But keep in mind that the walls are thin and his screams aren't gonna be—"

"You vile creature!" the priest hissed at him with venom. The small clay pot at the edge of the counter had fallen and broke into pieces when he slammed his hands on the counter. Needless to say, the innkeeper was surprised with his sudden outburst. "Has your mind nothing but impure thoughts? By the gods should you be punished for your indecency!" Seth snatched the wooden block from the fat man's grasp and went to the unconscious boy in brisk steps, desperate to get out of the perverted man's presence.

He gently wound the boy's arms around his shoulders and hoisted him up into his arms, his back still facing the innkeeper. Seth adjusted his leather bag so it wouldn't fall off and set to the stairs at the side of the counter.

Seth gave one last glare to the man before giving a stiff nod of farewell and bade him a pleasant night… no matter if he was wishing the man's demise in his head.

~~II~~

After settling in their small lodging, Seth decided to be the Good Samaritan and gave the only straw bed to his unconscious charge. He had taken off the boy's dirty clothes and cleaned his body with a bucket of water he managed to retrieve from the well beside the inn and a rag that was provided in their room.

Even a moral-bound priest such as himself, he couldn't help but marvel the beauty of his new companion. With skin a shining bronze and a body figure that was surely blessed by the gods, his every feature and body part was a puzzle piece that formed the picture that was perfection. The boy's hair was also a startling combination of three unusual colors—black, gold and red—that framed his beautiful face in such a way that resembled a king's crown.

Seth hastened his cleaning lest he be doing what the fat man had suggested, Ra damn him. He changed the boy into the second set of clothes he always brought with him, before tucking him into bed and draped his cloak on the blankets covering the boy to protect him from the cold Kemet night.

After checking that everything was okay, he scuttled to the only other furniture in the room and propped the chair up against the wall opposite to the bed. He grabbed the other blanket that was available and wrapped it tightly around himself and prayed to Nut to bless him with plentiful sleep that night before settling to a uncomfortable position on the rickety chair.

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry for the wait.


	4. Chapter 3

**The Hidden King **

**by 004**

**Chapter 3 (Revised)**

"_Mama!" The boy with the outrageous hair ran in the direction of the riverside, almost knocking several men and women on his way._

_The beautiful blonde woman who had been washing clothes in the riverbank turned around at the sound of her child's voice. She smiled a beautiful smile just for her son and opened her arms in awaiting embrace._

"_Atem!"_

_He crashed into her soft limbs and wrapped his smaller ones around her waist, burying his face in her bosom. "I had a very weird dream Mama…"_

_The woman led them both to the benches beside the river to sit down. "What was it about, Atem?" she asked while treading her nimble fingers through her son's soft hair._

"_It's still the same dream, with the seven lights and all, but three people were also talking."_

_A worrisome look crossed Atem's mother's face and asked, "Do you remember what they said?"_

"_N-not all of it," he said, sniffing into her shawl. "But I remember them calling me—"_

Seth was on his way to a dreamless sleep when a heart-wrenching scream invaded his senses.

He immediately went into a fighting stance; his childhood spent in the dangerous back alleys of the kingdom had taught him to be cautious and ready for any kind of crime that could happen upon his person. But his Nile-blue eyes surveyed the room and saw nothing out of the ordinary other than that his charge was awake.

He released the breath that he was holding and relaxed his tense body. The priest walked towards the young lad to make nothing was wrong."Glad to see you are alright," Seth said, trying to give a friendly smile to his companion.

The tri-color haired boy's eyes snapped to him as if only noticing that he was with someone. Terrified blood-red eyes stared at Seth and the priest found himself lost in the sparkling pools. He was about to move and explain where they were to inform him but the boy was surprisingly fast on his feet and had already dashed to one corner of the small room.

"W-Who are you! Where did you take me?" his soft voice trembled and rose an octave higher with every word that came out of his lips. "Where is my mother? What did you do to her?"

Seth crouched down low, trying to convey that he wasn't dangerous. "Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you…"

"NO! You liar! You're one of the thieves that burned our village!"

The priest's eyes widened as he had a sudden realization of what happened. The sooty, bloody clothes on the boy's back and the expression on his face when Seth first saw him was as if a legion of demons were chasing him from the depths of hell. If the boy had just said that their village had been ambushed by a group of rogue thieves, then no wonder the boy had looked as he did.

"Calm down," he repeated. "I'm not a thief; I'm a priest, as you can see…" Seth trailed off his words and gestured to the white simple robes he was wearing that were required for priests.

The boy assessed him, deciding whether the other man was telling the truth before slight relief flashed in his eyes for a moment. Seth didn't know why it hurt when he still sensed doubt from the boy.

"What's your name?" admirably, his voice didn't waver and met Seth's eyes dead-on.

"I am named Seth by my father, Akunadin," he replied softly. "He said that it will help me become a strong person in my life; to be like him and stay beside him in helping Kemet. I never really got his point naming me after a god of destruction, though."

Seth knew he was rambling but he didn't seem to get the energy to care. He met with the boy's eyes and they stared into each other's for a while, trying to figure the one another but the younger lad was the first to break contact.

He realized he missed looking into those majestic orbs and just to get the boy's eyes on him again, Seth asked, "What's your name?"

As suspected, those exotic red eyes swerved to him and stared him down. It took a while for the boy to answer, as if he was weighing the effects of telling his name but nevertheless, he answered. With a voice that was much surer than what he had used prior, "Atem."

The priest raised an eyebrow at that, "That is such a powerful name. Who named you?"

"My father," Atem said it with such a solemn face that told Seth there was a sad story behind it.

"Did you know that your name is the same as the Greatest of All the Gods, Tem?"

Almost dazedly, Atem replied with a small shake of his head, "No… I didn't know that. Mama just said that it was pretty…"

Seth almost missed the sad note of his voice if it wasn't for the thin curtain of tears veiling Atem's eyes. _'He said his village was invaded by thieves and bandits. If that may be, then his family must already be dead… I hope that will not be the case.' _He moved to crouch next to the lad, careful to take unhurried steps to avoid scaring the other, and tried to soothe him with simple words of comfort. But it was all for naught as Atem managed to keep all the tears at bay and only sniffled a little.

"Thanks," he said even though Seth did nothing.

"It was no bother."

"Where am I?" Atem asked, looking around the small room of what seemed to be a lodge.

"We are at an Inn in a village not far away from Yunu. We have to travel a little on horseback then cross the river on a boat before we reach the capital city of Hwt-ka-Ptah…" Seth trailed off and looked at Atem. "That is if you want to come. If you have somewhere else to go, I will be willing to accompany you."

Atem panicked at that. "NO! Don't leave me!" The priest's eyes widened in surprise at the lad's sudden outburst and Atem blushed a delicate shade of red and wished that the ground could just swallow him up. "What I meant to say was that, I-uh…" His gaze fell to the ground. "I have nowhere else to go…"

"Alright. You can stay with me."

"Thank you so much."

They fell into an awkward silence where neither knew what to say to fill it in. But Seth managed to save them both and said it was best to return to sleep.

"I suppose so. It seems I've been sleeping for quite some time but I still feel like I've run the whole length of the Nile!" Atem's light-hearted words managed to lessen the concern in Seth's eyes but the priest knew he was just trying to postpone the inevitable outbreak of tears. He wasn't the only one thinking of the possibility that Atem's mother might be dead.

But he let it slide and helped Atem stagger back to his bed, the adrenaline from his fright was gone and his muscles were still weak and Seth was happy to help. He was about to go back to sleeping on his chair when Atem called to him.

"S-Seth…"

The priest decided that he liked hearing his name from Atem.

"Yes?"

It looked as if the boy was about to say something but thought about it shook his head, saying, "It's nothing..."

He cast a curious look at his new charge and shrugged. "If you say so."

The priest had finally settled on his small chair and prepared himself again for a long night filled with sore muscles and cramps when a cloth was tossed on his face. He was about to react strongly and loudly at the brat who threw the cloth at his face when he saw the boy lying in the cot with only the blanket provided by the inn on his thin body.

He looked at the cloth on his hands and saw that it was his travelling cloak and his eyebrows raised in surprise and question. He turned back his gaze at Atem but he had turned so that his back was facing the priest and seemed to say to him that he didn't want to hear anymore.

Seth smiled to himself and tucked the cloak around his person and sighed in relief when he was offered a little more warmth. The boy may not trust him all that well but he supposed that this was a good start if they were going to be together in this little journey.

* * *

A/N: I would like to thank Blue September. Thank you, dear, so much. Her/His repsonses are always welcome and made me realize how messy my storyline has become! _Le gasp~_ I tried changing a few lines but still, if there are points where some things are vague, feel free to tell me.

*All revised chapters will have " **(revised)** " added beside the chapter.


	5. Interlude

**The Hidden King **

**By 004**

**Interlude**

In the capital city of Kemet, where the majestic white palace of Hwt-ka-Ptah is found, the current Pharaoh stands in the balcony of his palace, enduring another night without sleep. He just stood there in the cold desert night only in his kilt and nothing else, his usually pristine hair, rough and frizzy. His deep violet eyes were tired and weary and if it wasn't for the kohl outlining his eyes, one would notice the dark bags underneath them.

On some nights such as this, the Pharaoh would not be allowed to sleep. No matter what he did, he just could not rest his tired mind and body. It had always been like this for the past decade, its reason, was one Akunamkhamun knew well.

Whenever sleep would elude him, he would always remember his beloved Queen, Ifalna, her handsome face and delicate body, and also the son he had lost to her, Atemrameti, the child born of severe and divine circumstances.

The old king never knew the real reason Ifalna decided to leave him and take their son with her but he knew that it was what the gods wanted because no matter how many scouts and expeditions he sent around the whole of Kemet and its neighbors to find his family, the search would end up with nothing. As if the gods were deliberately hiding Ifalna and Atemrameti from him.

But he so wanted to see his family! By the gods, why would they torment him so? When all he had done was serve them and praise them all his life?

Tears started to roll down his cheeks, ruining the kohl on his face, as he imagined what it would have been like if his family had never gone away and stayed with him…

Then there came a knock on his door and Akunamkhamun did not bother to turn around and just invited whoever it was to come inside his chambers. "Who is it?"

Light footsteps padded across his alabaster floors and soon, he felt the familiar presence of his younger brother standing behind him on the veranda. Heavy yet gentle hands placed a robe around his shoulders and rubbed them to bring warmth to the Pharaoh's limbs.

"Brother," Akunadin's voice was as tired as his own. "Can you not sleep again?"

The Pharaoh could only move his head in negative, forlorn.

"Why don't you move from the balcony? You will get sick from the cold and from this vantage point, assassins might come and kill you," the chief priest of the King's court led his brother inside the room, his thick eyebrows, with the barest hints of grey wisps among them, were scrunched in worry.

He led both of them to sit on the soft mattress and almost immediately, Akunamkhamun laid on them carelessly, without the usual grace he had. Akunadin did nothing to scold him but instead moved to run his calloused fingers through his brother's hair.

"Your family is getting worried," he whispered to Akunamkhamun.

"I don't have a family!" the Pharaoh hissed venomously to no one; his eyes not even meeting his younger brother. But they suddenly turned sad and gazed back to the veranda, to the stars twinkling in the night. "Not anymore."

"Don't say such things. You should be blessed that Kareema has given you Anhur; another heir to the throne of Kemet. If only I were so lucky… I would have liked to get a wife for myself if I wasn't a priest."

"I am forever thankful for Anhur and Kareema, brother. But they cannot fill the chasm which my beloved ones had left in my heart and in my memories. Even if I only held the young prince Atemrameti in my arms for just a few hours, it felt as if he had become my master and I, his servant."

The Pharaoh turned on his side and faced his brother who looked back at him with deep grayish-purple eyes. "Why is it so, Akunadin?"

"I am merely a lowly priest, my dear brother. How can I possibly know what bounds the power of love?"

Unbeknownst to the two, the gold-inlaid door shut silently and the figure who listened to the conversation between the brothers crept slowly away. She ordered the guards back to their posts and threatened they never tell a soul what transpired that night.

She slunk through dimly-lit corridors and finally reached a lavishly decorated room fit for a queen, which was she. Her long inky tresses flowed behind her like the Nile and her silk robes clung to her shapely body like a second skin. The queen might have been graced with beauty unparalleled, but the scowl marring her face had surely dampened whatever magnificence it was supposed to have.

Kareema flung her silk scarf across the room, hurling it into a fire and kicked a fragile vase to pieces with one of her dainty feet, "That damned Ifalna! Even now you wish to take which is mine!" she hissed viciously, making her more unattractive.

Her light brown eyes, almost the color of honey blazed with unbidden fury as she cursed and cursed her once friend, her rival.

"I am the Queen of Kemet! Not Ifalna! Not anyone! My son Anhur will be the one to succeed the throne and not the spawn of that tramp! No one will take what is mine!"

Somewhere, in a place where only a few mortals would dare step into, the gods started to set into motion a sequence of events that will bring the Land of Black Soil into eternal doom and only the Chosen One, blessed by the Gods of High and Low, will save Kemet and its beloved people.

* * *

A/N: This is to tell you that no, there will be no incest between Akunamkhamun and Akunadin; only between their sons, Seth and Atemu. Ok? ;)  
The name _"Atemrameti"_ was taken from the story _**"In Bygone Days"**_ by **Servant of Anubis. **I hope that person doesn't mind. Because I really found it cool that Atem's formal name was Atemrameti. It gave more life to the character that is our beloved Pharaoh. You should really try reading it, **In Bygone Days** by **Servant of Anubis. **It's very wonderful and might give you an insight on how everything was done before in Ancient Egypt.

*_"Anhur"_ meaning _"brings back the distant one", "skybearer"_

_*_This is the only spoiler for the story that I'm giving you. Brownie or cookie points for whoever gets what Anhur's role will be in the long term.


End file.
